Why 42,000 people moved from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County from 2007-2011

A report released today from the U.S. Census Bureau looking at regional migration patterns shows the largest migration into a region in the United States has been from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County.

The migration report is released every five years. This time, the report shows 42,000 new residents moved from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County between 2007 to 2011.

Experts say the major reason for the numbers is that people are attracted to the affordability of housing in the area.

The median home price in the San Bernardino County market is about $218,000, according to Inland Empire economist John Husing. The price is about $57,000 cheaper than the median price in Riverside County, $233,000 cheaper than in Los Angeles County, and $412,000 cheaper than in Orange County, according to Husing.

“The fact is that the Inland Empire has the one thing in Southern California that you have to have: that is land that is undeveloped property,” Husing said. “Because of the existence of that, housing costs in this area are substantially cheaper than they are in the coastal counties. So if I want to buy a home, I’m going to migrate inland because the savings is so enormous.”

Randall Lewis, principal of the Lewis Operating Company, a major developer in the region, said there are three reasons people are attracted to living in San Bernardino County. Tops among those reasons is price.

“The historical reason has always been price,” Lewis said. “People go on the freeway and drive until they can find a house they can afford. That still matters. The second reason is jobs and there’s been some new jobs, especially this last year. Though we may have lost some jobs in some sectors, I think people come here because of the growth of employment here.”

Lewis said the third reason people are moving in the San Bernardino are for neighborhood quality reasons.

“We hear in a lot of communities that the reasons people say they’re drawn to come out here is because of quality of life issues, which means it’s not as congested and they feel, in many cases, the education system is better.”

Jordan Levine, director of economic research at the firm Beacon Economics, agreed that price is a major reason for the move. People can still work at the major coastal employment centers in Southern California, but they can live in a more affordable home, he said.

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“One of the biggest draws further inland from Los Angeles is the cost of housing, and there’s a big discount by moving from Los Angeles to the San Bernardino area,” Levine said. “That’s never been more true than it is today. Prices in the Inland Empire overall fell so much faster and farther than they did in Los Angeles County and other coastal parts of California.”

He added, “places along the 10 freeway, and Chino and Chino Hills are ideally positioned to still offer people access to larger employment centers with the benefit of lower-cost housing.”

Chino Councilwoman Eunice Ulloa said she’s not surprised people want to move to the area.

“We still have open spaces, and we’re very centrally located,” Ulloa said. “If you came to Chino, you’re close to the 10, the 91 and the 71 freeways, and you’re within driving distance to the mountains. We have a lot of industry and we have a very strong jobs base. We have excellent shopping in our area. It’s not surprising people want to locate out here.”

According to the report, the second largest area of migration was from Los Angeles County to Orange County, with 40,000 people. The third largest is from Asia, with 35,000 people from Asia moving into Los Angeles County.

People moving from San Bernardino County to Riverside County, represented the 8th largest migration flow, with about 21,000 people.

“Despite the numbers, these are the weakest migration figures we’ve seen in a long time,” Husing said of the new figures. “That’s because with the Great Recession, people have been less willing to move than in normal periods of time. When you’re afraid, you don’t make major decisions like relocating.”